Misfit_Toy,
I own the 525, and it also suffers from the audio mute problem. I must admit it's rather annoying. As a matter of fact, I'll probably get a Denon or Yammie next time (they don't have this issue since they don't have the Cirrus DSP).
Anytime the receiver changes processing modes (for example, from DPLII to DD) there is a 2 - 3 second mute. Harman's official explanation for this is the receiver mutes the audio while it is changing DSP modes, to avoid hearing the random noise that can occur during the mode change. But then a few months ago they stated they are working on a fix for the current models.
On a DVD such as Monsters, Inc., you won't be able to hear the first few seconds of the THX intro because the receiver is switching from DPLII (in the DVD menu) to DD (in the THX intro). Not really a big deal, just annoying.
Another example is the DTS 6.1 track on the Extended Edition LOTR:TTT, you can't hear the first few seconds of music in the movie because the receiver is switching to DTS mode, which seems to take a little longer than switching to DD mode.
And while surfing channels on a cable box using the digital audio output, when you land on a program that is encoded in DD, there is a mute while the receiver is changing to DD mode, then another mute when you switch to the next channel that is in analog. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but it gets annoying when channel surfing.
The other night while watching Sopranos I couldn't hear the first few seconds of next week's preview because my 525 was switching from DD to DPLII mode.
[/end_rant]
Jason
